The present invention relates generally to cellular communication devices and, more particularly, to a cellular alert device for notifying a user that a cellular call is being received by an associated cellular telephone with the alert device not being in close proximity or in data communication with the associated telephone.
Cellular phones, including digital walkie-talkie type telephones, are in popular use by consumers, both for personal and business communications. A common problem, however, is that cell phone users do not always have their cell phones in close proximity to their person when a call is received and, thus, are not available to answer it. For example, men in the workplace may keep their portable telephones in a desk drawer and miss calls when they are not near their desks when a call comes in. Similarly, women sometimes leave their cell phones in their purses which may then be situated away from them when a call is received. Still another frequently experienced example is when a cell phone owner is engaged in a leisure activity, such as swimming, boating, or working out in a gym, and have stowed their phone in a locker, vehicle, or the like.
Various proposals for alerting a user that an incoming call is being received by the user's cell phone have been made in the art. More particularly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,218,958 to Eichstaedt discloses a tactile notification device that can be worn by a person and which can receive alert signals from a plurality of other personal computing devices, such as a cell phone, pager, or laptop computer (also being worn by the user) and generates respective tactile signals detectable by the user. Although assumably effective for its intended purpose, this system requires multiple other devices to transmit a signal to the alert device receiver and requires the other devices to be in close proximity to the alert device.
While still other patents have proposed having an alert device for notifying a user that a cell phone or other personal electronic device has been actuated, there is a need for a device that may be actuated independent of the cell phone itself and that does not require transmission of an auxiliary signal by the cell phone.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a cell phone alert device for notifying a cell phone owner that an associated cell phone is presently receiving an incoming transmission. Further, it would be desirable to have a cell phone alert device that receives said incoming call notification independently of the telephone itself, even if separated from the telephone by a relatively long distance. In addition, it would be desirable to have a cell phone alert device that receives the incoming call notification substantially simultaneously with the associated telephone's receipt thereof. And, it would also be desirable if the cell phone alert device could be worn by a user in a convenient and fashionable manner